A Chat with Death
by Trunks on Toast
Summary: Vegeta has a conversation with Death of the Endless (from the Sandman series). Probably the strangest anime crossover you'll ever read. (well, if you read it, I mean)


Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ or any characters from the Sandman series  
  
A/N: Here's what happens when two obsessions collide…a very odd crossover. It isn't very well written since I'm too lazy to do anything detailed, so this is mostly dialogue. It's set near the end of the Buu Saga. Warning: This may contain spoilers…  
  
  
  
  
  
~ Thought ~  
  
*Flashback*  
  
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"Vegeta…"  
  
He groaned…~ Where am I? ~  
  
"Vegeta!"  
  
~ How did I end up here? ~  
  
"Vegeeeetaaaaa!"  
  
~ And who the hell keeps calling my name?! ~  
  
"Veggie-head!"  
  
"Don't call me that!" he snapped instinctively, still disoriented by his surroundings. All around him was a murky grey mist, and nothing seemed to be quite solid. It was as if he was floating in a very strange fog. He looked around to see who was calling him, but there was no one in sight.  
  
"Show yourself!" he bellowed, his eyes still darting around.  
  
For a few seconds nothing stirred, but suddenly he was able to make out the outline of a person approaching him. A pale young woman stepped out of the greyness, her midnight black lips turned up in a perky grin.  
  
~ I…I've met her before! ~  
  
Unruly black locks of hair as dark as her lips spilled out from under a black top hat and surrounded her thin face, and a strange curl was drawn under her left eye. Her clothes were simple- black pants, tank top, and lace up boots with a large silver ankh hanging around her neck.  
  
"Hey Vegeta, it's good to see you again!" she greeted him cheerfully, as if reading his thoughts. "And yes, we DID meet before…but you probably don't remember that all too well."  
  
"Who are you? And how do you know me?" he demanded.  
  
"I was there when Frieza killed you."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous, woman! You weren't…" he trailed off, the memory of their first meeting suddenly hitting him like a sack of bricks. She smiled at the look of recognition on her face and walked closer.  
  
"You remember!" she exclaimed happily.  
  
He nodded numbly and backed away, not trusting himself to speak.  
  
*The final standoff with Majin Buu. Making his decision. Saying goodbye to his son. His energy level skyrocketing. Then…nothing. He was here*  
  
"Dead…" he choked out hoarsely. "I'm…dead."  
  
"Again," Death added, the grin still on her face.  
  
Vegeta looked at her blankly for a minute, then lowered his gaze. "Yes…"  
  
"You're taking this a lot better than you took it last time," she observed, fiddling around with her ankh.  
  
"This time it was intended," he remarked dryly.  
  
"Oh, I know. That was pretty nice of you."  
  
"Hn."  
  
He turned away and stared into the distance.  
  
"Vegeta?"  
  
"What."  
  
"That really was noble of you. Super-noble. And a really neat way to die."  
  
The saiyan prince was silent for a few moments, before letting out a single harsh laugh.  
  
"He's not dead, is he. The Buu monster."  
  
The second eldest of the Endless shook her head, her grin fading. "No."  
  
"So what I did was all in vain."  
  
She didn't reply, but instead walked up behind him and placed a slim white hand on his shoulder.  
  
"No, it wasn't. What you did was…" She paused. "Vegeta, no one dies without a reason. Giving up your life to save the earth was a really, really good reason. It wasn't in vain, even if things didn't go the way you wanted them to."  
  
"What are you babbling about?!" he exclaimed angrily, shrugging her hand off and whirling around to face her. "Of course it was in vain! Majin Buu is still alive, and all those people are going to die because of my failure!"  
  
"I'm not babbling!" she shot back indignantly, crossing her arms. "I've been doing this since the beginning of time…I think I'd know what I was talking about by now!"  
  
"One would THINK…" he muttered.  
  
"Hmph. Well if you're going to be like that, then maybe I should just stop talking!"  
  
"Fine with me!"  
  
They both spun on their heels so that their backs faced each other, fuming at the emptiness around them. Fuming was not in Death's nature, however, and within minutes she dropped her anger and let out a sigh.  
  
"I'm sorry that things didn't work out, but you still have to come with me. It would make things a lot easier for both of us if you could just take my hand so we could leave."  
  
He remained as still as a statue, and also as silent. She turned around to observe the man in front of her, who didn't look like he was very likely to do anything she asked anytime soon.  
  
"Ok, fine, I'll let you in on a little secret…Destiny refuses to let me look at his book, but I know that he still has a few more pages reserved for you."  
  
He remained unresponsive, but somehow she had expected that.  
  
"And for Bulma and Trunks, too," she added on with a small grin.  
  
At this he turned around, his onyx eyes boring into ones just as dark…if not darker. He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.  
  
"I don't lie," she said simply.  
  
He nodded slowly and left it at that. It felt strange for someone who had questioned authority his whole life to just accept something, but then again, she was Death…if she said she didn't lie, then she didn't.  
  
She held out her hand once more, and this time Vegeta hesitantly stepped forward. He gave her a weary look before cautiously placing his calloused hand on top of her smooth one, feeling the chill from the contact. She beamed at him and wrapped her long fingers around his heavy hand.  
  
"Don't look so sad, Veggie-head!" she chirped, bending down slightly to give him a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you again."  
  
He had begun fading as soon as he had taken her hand, and by now he was barely visible. "Woman, I TOLD you not to…" he started, but then he was gone. Death giggled and turned around, only to nearly run into her older brother Destiny.  
  
"Hiya!" she greeted him, and immediately noticed the disapproving look on his face.  
  
"Death, how many times have I told you…"  
  
"…That the fate of all lives are for you, and you alone to see…I know, I know!" she finished hurriedly. "But this was Vegeta! You know how stubborn he can be!"  
  
"I am perfectly aware of that, but I still see no reason why…"  
  
"Last time I had to wait until he ranted and raved himself unconscious before I could take him with me!"  
  
He almost chuckled at the memory, but his stony face remained as passive as ever.  
  
"It was funny, admit it!" Death goaded him on, knowing that even the eldest of the Endless found it humorous.  
  
"There is nothing funny about being unable to accept your end."  
  
"Oh lighten up…" she grumbled.  
  
He merely sighed and shook his head.  
  
"What do you find so special about this one?"  
  
She tilted her head and brought up her shoulders in a half-shrug. "Not that many people can look death and the face and call it 'woman'," she replied, then laughed. "Plus he gets so mad when I call him Veggie- head!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N II: So, what did you think? I tried to keep them in character, so hopefully that worked out… Well anyway, orbit chewing gum to anyone who bothered to read this! Whoo! 


End file.
